Online Marketing
Methods That Work
-- by Jeff Beale, http://www.searchenginenewswatch.com
-- http://www.redtienda.com/english/newsletter130.htm#1Business owners
are facing a harsh reality: A website in itself
offers no assurance of business. "If you
build, it they will come" is a clich? that
has misled many into believing all a company
needed was an online presence to succeed.
However, without a strategic marketing plan and a
tactical approach, you're more likely to fail
than to reach your goals. Proper planning will
not only improve your chances of success, but it
will also keep you from throwing away money on
e-commerce fiascos.
The first
step of planning is to define your goals in light
of the target market you aim to reach. As you
classify your target, you should determine the
core needs of that group and observe the buying
behavior that occurs among your potential
purchasers. Characterizing their purchasing
habits enables you to position your business to
appeal to your target market with compelling
information before they buy from another
resource.
Several
online resources can help you place your business
in the forefront of your target audience. The
process, however, can be complex because a
variety of online vehicles, if utilized properly,
can help you yield the results you desire. Also,
the key to successful online marketing is in
developing a diverse marketing plan which takes
advantage of several approaches to deliver your
message. Components in your marketing plan should
include such elements as search engine marketing,
pay-per-performance, ad placement, joint
ventures, targeted traffic, e-mail marketing,
media marketing, optimization and copywriting.
Search
Engine Marketing
Search
engine marketing has been one of the most highly
visible forms of online marketing. With millions
of businesses employing search engines to gather
information daily, search engine placement for
key terms has been a major business generator for
companies who properly place themselves in the
search engines under the right terms relevant to
their market offering. An obstacle to being
ranked at or near the top, however, is that
thousands can be competing for the same position.
And with the search engines changing their
algorithms often, achieving placement on the
first page for the terms relevant is extremely
difficult without a solid working knowledge of
and experience in the search engine marketing
field. Consequently, one should not solely rely
on ranking.
Pay-Per-Performance
Another
marketing technique on the rise is
pay-per-performance advertising. This is a method
for which you pay per click, impression, or visit
a site that refers to your site. The application
works best if the placements chosen are locations
that directly connect with the target market you
desire to reach. Advertisement rates are based on
an auction format in that the highest bidder
obtains the top placement. If your bid is $1.00
for every time someone utilizes your link while
your competitor bids $1.01, your competitor will
gain a better placement than you. If 100
individuals click your link, you should
understand that you will owe $100 whether they
buy from you are not. Pay-per-performance
advertising clearly requires a full understanding
of your conversion ratio to determine the budget
necessary to commit to such a program.
Ad
Placement
Ad
placement is similar to pay-per-performance in
that you pay for advertisements on sites or
newsletters. The difference is that you typically
pay for impressions and market reach. Impressions
encompass how many unique visitors view the
location in which your ad is placed. The market
reach refers to the number of individuals
accessing that website or newsletter over a
period of time. However, you have no guarantee of
the number of visitors who will follow your ad to
your website. The concept is similar to
traditional print ad placement in that
advertisers have no guarantee that people exposed
to their print ads will visit their places of
business.
Joint
Ventures
Another
method, joint ventures, can be highly effective
in helping businesses obtain referral customers.
Joint ventures can be as simple exchanging links
with another website or as complex as assembling
a tiered affiliates program.
Targeted
Traffic Marketing
Targeted
traffic marketing is an additional online
marketing tool with two main applications. The
first involves the purchase of a demographic
defined list. Such a list will contain
individuals that fit a specified demographic to
whom you have permission to send information
freely either through an e-mail campaign or a
sales call. The second form of targeted traffic
entails the purchase a specified number of unique
visitors to your site who fit a demographic. This
is a mass marketing or shotgun approach. Using
either approach requires a skilled implementation
of marketing content or your conversion ratio
will be low, meaning you'll be wasting money.
E-Mail
Marketing
The most
criticized but still effective form of online
marketing is e-mail marketing. Too many marketers
utilized this method improperly by imposing upon
individuals who had no interest in their products
or services. The answer to marketing effectively
using e-mails lies in ensuring you have
permission before sending to the individuals on
your list.
Media
Marketing
A more
effective method would be to utilize media
marketing in which you write articles, white
papers and other content relevant to your
industry to be published. Sharing valuable
insights and information rather than out-and-out
selling helps to validate your company's
expertise as you also acquire free brand
exposure.
Relevant
Content & Copywriting
Finally,
marketing effectively online requires the right
kind of preparation for your website. Many sites
fail in that they generate traffic but they lack
the kind of relevant content that retains the
visitor, educates the prospect, and/or encourages
the prospect to take action. Developing content
that relays a clear message to your visitors is
critical. Copywriting professional Sallie Boyles
states, "Lead with your punch line. Be
clear. Be concise. Rather than covering each page
top-to-bottom with solid content, use windows and
links to provide detailed explanations as needed.
When people gather research online for an
immediate or future purchase, they want ease and
efficiency - or they'll leave the site and go
elsewhere."
In
developing your next online marketing plan,
follow these key steps to success: First, define
and research your market. Second, prepare your
site for action. Third, position yourself in the
marketplace utilizing several marketing methods.
Fourth, be prepared to follow up and close the
deal. A world of e-commerce awaits!
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